The Juggernaut

Juggernauts (a.k.a Big 'Uns, Big Bastards) are a type of freak zombie encountered in State of Decay. They are a lot more powerful than normal zombies and require special consideration when the player attempts to evade or fight them. Juggernauts can be considered a "tank"-type enemy: slow but possessing powerful attacks and high durability.

Juggernauts are large zombies, over six feet tall and heavy to the point of obesity. They have a distinctive silhouette which is easily recognized, marked most prominently by their large, rounded bodies, gray skin and disproportionately small heads. They move with a lumbering waddle, as opposed to the jerky gait of a normal zombie. Juggernauts are typically found in greatest concentration in The Farmlands regions north of Marshall, both in the center of the map as well as the farms off the south edge of the loop road, between the road and river north of Marshall.

Juggernauts can appear anywhere, however they do not commonly appear in open fields. Instead, it is not uncommon to see them in the yards behind the houses in the warehouse and downtown districts of Marshall. Juggernauts are also known to spawn near the entrances of East Marshall, due to the fact there is free, open land. On rare cases, Juggernauts also spawn or appear in the parking lot near the Fairfield, due to there being even more free, open land.

In rare cases, a Juggernaut can spawn inside a building. This is typically beneficial, as Juggernauts have significant difficulty fitting through doorways. This safety isn't assured, however; the beast can pass through the doorway or even potentially glitch through the wall or doorway and become a threat.

When not actively pursuing a survivor, most Juggernauts will "patrol" a small area, about the size of a house yard, but will occasionally adopt a wider range in open areas. Juggernauts must be approached relatively closely to gain its attention.

As is expected given their size, Juggernauts are very well suited to close combat. They possess an enormous amount of health as well as an ability to deal considerable amounts of damage. Additionally, despite their size, Juggernauts are capable of charging at relatively high speed to close distances and/or knock down prey.

Upon spotting a survivor, the Juggernaut will typically stomp the ground and roar. While not as powerful as the call of the Screamers, a Juggernaut's roar will attract nearby zombies. Juggernauts typically attack in one of four ways: a charge attack to close distance, an "accordion" attack on any survivor within arm's reach, a backhand swing, or an earth-shaking pound attack.

The Juggernaut attempts a charging attack, which can cover a considerable amount of distance very quickly. Should the attack connect, the survivor will receive a substantial amount of damage, be sent sprawling and stunned for a few seconds, becoming vulnerable to the Juggernaut's subsequent attacks.

When the Juggernaut spots survivor(s) in a building, it will keep charging into the wall. If there are barricades, each charge will remove one barricade level on every window of the compound. If a survivor is fixing any barricade whilst the Juggernaut is attempting to smash it, he/she will be knocked away from the window and receive damage.

Juggernauts are dangerous foes, thus it is advisable that the player avoids them if they do not directly pose a threat. While Juggernauts will charge a prey, staying out of its line of sight will generally result in the zombie losing interest and going back on "patrol".

If ambushed by a Juggernaut, the best strategy is to enter the nearest building. Juggernauts cannot easily fit through normal-sized doorways (the key word is "easily". Due to a glitch, it can sometimes get inside buildings). If the building has another exit, fleeing through the other exit will typically put enough distance between the survivor and the Juggernaut to make the zombie lose interest.

However, when confrontation is inevitable (such as in a Besieged mission, in a Zed hunt, or the freak is attacking another survivor), there do exist a number of strategies to successfully destroy one.

Like almost all zombies, the Juggernaut is vulnerable to gunfire. However, only head shots will deal any significant damage, and even then it still takes a few rifle shots to stagger them; body shots will not even make them flinch. Also, enough hits from melee weapons (especially blunt or heavy weapon) can also knock them back and stun them briefly.

In general, the most effective anti-Juggernaut weapon is the Grenade Launcher, which can kill it with two direct hits, but ammo is extremely rare and very likely to cause collateral damage to vehicles or allies.

Powerful scoped Rifles are the next best thing for softening up Juggernauts before moving in closer; however, do note that they tend to be too slow in close encounters which makes it difficult to fire more than one or two shots each time, requiring the player to make each shot count.

Assault rifles provide a good balance between range and damage output.

Pistols, Revolvers and Submachine Guns have similar range; SMGs have the fire rate and magazine capacity advantages, Revolvers have the stopping power, and Pistols is in between.

Shotguns are often considered ineffective, but they do have some advantage at close range (powerful and do not require precise aiming thanks to the spreading pellets), which tend to be the situation in many encounters.

Another factor in choosing weapon is the noise. Shotguns, Revolvers and Grenade Launchers are among the loudest of firearms and cannot be suppressed, which is sure to draw zombies and can potentially get the player overwhelmed. Thus, they are often useful in open, easily manuverable areas, or when the player is confident that the extra zombies can be dealt with, or they have many accompanying characters.

Probably one of the safest means of dealing with a Juggernaut, vehicular combat is nevertheless problematic. Unlike all other zombies, running into a Juggernaut with any vehicle will not kill it immediately. While it will stagger the beast and drop him to the ground, he will get back up and attempt to attack the vehicle. A Juggernaut can cause incredible damage to any car or truck.

To kill a Juggernaut with a vehicle:

Approach the Juggernaut at decent speed, ideally on a flat straightaway, and strike the zombie squarely.

This will drop him to the ground and cause the car to rebound as it is damaged.

Keep trying to accelerate. The point is to build speed back up and run the Juggernaut over while he's still on the ground. Running the Juggernaut while he's still down will result in an instant kill.

If the Juggernaut manages to get back up to his knees, he's no longer considered "down" and will require another hit, while the car is already heavily damaged and most likely unable to run as fast as before.

On impact with the beast, the vehicle will take substantial damage. The tires on the striking end of the vehicle (front or rear) will blow out as a pair, impairing acceleration and maneuvering. Substantial body damage will also result, potentially knocking all the doors from the vehicle. As this effectively destroys the vehicle, if a Juggernaut is spotted, consider switching into a nearby "less-desirable" car. Any car *except a hatchback-type* will be able to kill a Juggernaut.